For Immediate Release
Iran’s denial of access to IAEA inspectors and lack of cooperation with the IAEA in the Agency’s efforts to clarify issues surrounding possible undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran today presents the IAEA’s Board of Governors, on which I serve, with an unprecedented challenge. This is the first time in history in which an IAEA Member State has denied access it is obligated to provide under its Additional Protocol agreement with the Agency. Iran’s continued nuclear escalations are deeply troubling and threaten to undermine the broader nonproliferation regime.
The United States welcomes the adoption today by the Board of a resolution calling on Iran to fully cooperate with the Agency and provide the Agency required information and access without any further delay, including by providing prompt access to the two locations specified by the Agency. Nothing less than full implementation of Iran’s safeguards obligations is acceptable.
We thank the resolution’s sponsors, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, for their efforts in this regard, which resulted in a balanced text that attracted broad support.
We thank the Director General and the Safeguards Department for their continued professionalism, objectivity, and impartiality in undertaking their critical responsibilities in Iran. The IAEA can continue to count on the full support of the United States in its work on safeguards implementation in Iran and around the world.
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